The Detroit Lions are a strong candidate to add talent to the defensive backfield after cutting ties with former first-round pick Terrion Arnold on Monday, but as for now, the leader in the clubhouse to replace him in the starting lineup is a cornerback already on the roster.
ESPN’s “NFL Live” reported on Tuesday, June 30 that Rock Ya-Sin is “expected” to assume the starting role of outside cornerback following Arnold’s departure from the franchise.
Ya-Sin joined the Lions ahead of the 2025 campaign as a reserve, but ultimately appeared in all 17 regular season games last year and started six of those contests due to injury issues, some of which cost Arnold nine contests. Ya-Sin tallied 47 combined tackles, nine pass breakups and two quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin 57th out of 114 CBs who saw enough snaps to qualify in 2025.
The team brought Ya-Sin back on a one-year deal worth $3.2 million in March.
Arnold’s departure certainly exacerbates what were already existing problems on the Detroit defense, particularly in the secondary. However, the unit would not necessarily be in that stable of a position heading into the upcoming campaign even with Arnold on the roster and clear of the legal troubles that have now cost him his career with the Lions.
“The defense is a major concern,” Mina Kimes of ESPN said Tuesday. “The entire secondary is battling some injuries and losses.”
Lions Secondary Remains Decimated by Injury After Terrion Arnold Release
GettySafety Brian Branch of the Detroit Lions.
Namely, safeties Kerby Joseph (an All-Pro in 2024) and Brian Branch (a Pro Bowler in 2024) both saw their seasons shortened by injury in 2025. Joseph’s status due to a lingering knee concern is up in the air, while Branch continues to rehabilitate a torn Achilles tendon he sustained in December.
Potentially absent those safeties — or even with them in the lineup at less than 100 percent health — and with a potential step back on the outside from Arnold to Ya-Sin — the Lions defense is going to face something of an identity crisis in 2026.
“[Detroit] played a ton of man coverage and blitzed a lot last year,” Kimes continued, noting the defense was generally successful within that strategy. “But I do feel that leaving these DBs on an island could be a little bit too risky. So [DC Kelvin Sheppard] is gonna have to problem-solve until some better players come along.”
Lions Candidates to Add More Talent, Depth to Cornerback Room
GettyCornerback Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns.
All things considered, it would be more than a little surprising if the Lions don’t look to add more talent and depth to the cornerback room in the coming weeks — specifically in time for training camp, which begins at the end of next month.
Carrington Valentine of the Green Bay Packers and Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns are both potential trade candidates. Free agency is also an option, with names like Trevon Diggs and Marshon Lattimore still available heading into July.
Detroit could also take another approach at protecting its secondary by spending some more money to elevate its pass rush. Applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks quickly and regularly will help the defensive backfield by cutting down the time its members have to cover pass-catchers while also disrupting the rhythm of the signal-callers trying to deliver them the football.
The Lions signed pass-rusher DJ Wonnum in free agency and selected Derrick Moore out of Michigan in the second round of this year’s NFL draft to bolster the position group alongside second-team All-Pro Aidan Hutchinson.
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